The Snowbound in the Smoke Hole - A Bones 2016 Secret Santa Fic
by grc73
Summary: When Booth and Brennan are called to a dead body in West Virginia, little do they realise their partnership is to change for good, with a little help of the spirit of Christmas and a snow storm. A Secret Santa fic for dgschneider.
1. Chapter 1

Hello my fellow FF Boneheads! Merry Christmas and Happy Chanukah!

Well, here's a thing - I was a little late to the Secret Santa party this year, (thanks to thankfully reliable FaithInBones for pointing me in the right direction) but with some luck, so was someone else... I was so pleased to hear that I had the brilliant dgschneider, whose work I always enjoy, and who gave me some brilliant wishes to work with. Merry Christmas to you, Lovely!

Now, mine is not quite finished (around 6,000 words so far but I still have a little to do, so, although I hadn't planned to, I'm going to split this into 2 (or possibly 3) chapters, the first one posting today so it's not "late", and hopefully if I get some quite time after our Christmas lunch (not fancying Frozen for the millionth time after the Queen's speech, the latter being a great UK tradition) I'll try and get the rest done.

I think I managed to incorporate almost every wish/sub-wish bar one (so far):

B&B, no Sweets; early seasons; realisation that they love each other; An unexpected storm; stranded; A happy ending (there will be, I promise); late night conversation; sharing childhood/youth memories; making new ones. Strong T.

This is set around the time that would have been S5's The Goop on the Girl (still early in my book), in a very slightly alternate reality with no exploding Santa case or cousin Margaret. Otherwise, it's all canon. I hope it meets requirements. :)

The Smoke Hole Caverns and resort do exist, however, any characters related to them are entirely fictional.

* * *

Christmas Eve.

Seeley Booth cursed under his breath as he left his boss's office. Of all the damned days of the year that a body would rear up its ugly, and unpleasantly dead, head; of course, it had to be Christmas Eve. The icing on this * **particular** * festive cake? Not just an easy amble across downtown DC to something straightforward, like one of the suburbs, where an affair had turned sour and a lover took a gruesome revenge on their intended; or an inner-city gang crime. One always knew where one was with a nice gang murder. Straightforward M.O., easy motive, choose from a limited but effective range of knives or pistols. Instead, a four-hour drive with stupid Christmas Eve traffic and likely inclement weather, to a tiny hamlet well over the state line into West Virginia. Booth was not in the best mood. As it was, he was now unlikely to see Parker until at least the 30th, his son spending Christmas with his mother and her parents in Québec, the information of their extended stay (to be fair, the weather there playing its part) by several more days given to him only this morning. The thought of the long drive back to an empty apartment after having to stand in the cold for several hours just pissed him off even more.

A lively German Shepherd called Stanley, on his regular morning walk, had, with great enthusiasm, led his owner to the grim discovery that bought the police out to investigate the cadaver buried in several pieces in a shallow grave, just off Route Seven in the Mountain State's Hardy County. Once having secured the scene, the attending sheriff realised this was no ordinary murder and took it upon himself to contact the FBI satellite office in Martinsburg - there is, as it turns out, no full field office in West Virginia. When the local agents saw the state of the body, they immediately called Washington for specialist help.

In that four hours and twenty-five minutes, FBI Deputy director Andrew Hacker briefed his best Special Agent, and that Special Agent collected his partner, Dr Temperance Brennan of the Jeffersonian Institute. He let her grab her cold weather gear from her office on their way to the car, before they began the long drive west. As they drove away from DC, just like the weather forecast had predicted, the weather began to turn and snow began to fall. At that time, the roads west-bound had been gritted and remained clear, but they could see how the snow was beginning to settle in the ever more rural landscape around them. Booth had faith in his Tahoe and its 4x4 steering, and as it was, it seemed to make light work of the county road that led them to the crime scene.

They stepped out of the car into the hamlet of Peru, a pleasant countryside area in the Appalachian lowlands.

"Wow Bones, we really are in Darkest Peru."

"I don't know what that means."

"You've never read Paddington Bear?"

"No, Booth."

"He's a talking bear from Peru who eats marmalade sandwiches."

"In that region, that would make him a spectacled bear, or ' _tremarctos_ _ornatus'_. I don't believe these bears speak Spanish, Booth, nor eat marmalade. Although they are known to scavenge, the sugar content would be much too high to be of nutritional value as a regular food source."

"He doesn't speak Spanish because he lives in England with his adopted human family. Next time you see Parker, I'll get him to explain."

'That makes absolutely no sense. Not Parker, I mean... the talking bear."

"Never mind." Brennan rolled her eyes and got her gear out of the boot of the car.

Booth stood in his thick winter coat and black leather gloves gamely trying to take notes whilst the snow fell onto his index cards, whilst Brennan was trying to examine the frozen corpse without turning into a popsicle herself, wrapping herself in a long form, water-resistant puffer jacket in the freezing conditions.

Time passed until it was well after four o'clock and the light was starting to fade.

"I've done enough preliminary investigations to determine gender and age. It's getting late, Booth. It's still snowing. We need to get back. I'd like the remains shipped back to the Jeffersonian." The Sheriff shook his head and chuckled.

"Sorry folks, you'll not be going far tonight. Winter storm's blocked up the Interstate back east in the last coupl'a hours. Heard the patrol mention it on my radio. Your best bet is to head up to Smoke Hole Caverns, that's about the closest place that's likely not full tonight. Roads are still clear over here, we're a bit more used to this kinda' weather. 'Bout an hour away all told, back up the Seven until you hit the Two-Twenty, then just keep going until you reach the Two-twenty-eight. It's signposted from there."

"…But it's Christmas..." Booth couldn't help but feel somewhat despondent that even with the silver lining of having Brennan with him, he couldn't get home, go to see Pops, or attend Midnight Mass as he usually did.

"It's either that my friend, or spend your night freezing in your car on the Interstate."

"Booth, we have our emergency overnight kits in the car, so we have spare clothes and toothbrushes. I don't really want to stay in the car. And we're not likely to get back anyway", considered Brennan, ever pragmatic.

"Okay, okay."

"Can you get the victim's body into storage? It may be cold enough, but I do not want the remains compromised by the local wildlife. The snow means the body will attract any passing scavengers." The sheriff pondered for a moment.

"We'll get it into the local morgue. When the roads are cleared, we can have it sent back to your lab."

"That should suffice. Thank you, Sheriff."

"You are most welcome, Doctor Brennan", and with that, he doffed his hat at them both.

The partners did as was suggested, and an hour's drive later, they arrived at Smoke Hole. Brennan had phoned ahead to confirm they did have a vacancy, and so when they arrived, the proprietor was expecting them. He was a friendly man named Dave, an older, jolly, bearded fellow, whom reminded Booth a little of Santa himself.

"You're in luck, my friends. Whilst we're still open for the occasional passers-by like yourselves, most of our cottages are closed for maintenance. It's a quiet time of year up here, but we do have a honeymoon log cabin available."

"A honeymoon log cabin?" The partners glanced at each other uncomfortably.

"Very romantic!" grinned Dave. "Perfect for you two sweethearts!"

There was another moment's silence and an awkward smile between them. They had been through this so many times before. There was barely a case where somebody at some point during the investigations didn't assume they were together. Apparently, they gave off some sort of "sex vibe", according to one former colleague, and as for Angela, she was forever going on about how compatible they were. In the second or two of that familiar feeling before either of them had a chance to correct his misconception, he spoke again.

"How long are you here for?"

"Just the night", volunteered Brennan, a little too quickly to sound entirely convincing to anyone.

"Well, I'll take a deposit now and you can settle up when you go, whenever that is. Where are you folks from?" He asked as he led the partners back outside and along a little way to their cabin.

"DC", replied Booth quietly, as they meandered through the snow, now falling quite heavily and beginning to crunch under their feet. The flakes settled in their hair.

"No chance you'll get back there for a day or so. White-out east of the Eighty-One, roads are blocked."

"We heard."

"You won't be worrying about that though, it's nice and cosy, a home away from home." With that, they reached their destination. Unlocking the door, they followed him into the cottage, where they found a modest sized lounge with wood-burner, already fired up and providing a pleasant amount of heat, and a kitchen with every major appliance they could need for any regular cooking requirements.

"There you go, there's some supplies in your kitchen including milk, bread and eggs, and some non-perishables in the cupboard. Good job you phoned ahead! We'll be open tomorrow for more fresh goods. We have a small supermarket on site, popular with the locals, especially in this weather. I'll leave you two to it, you can discover the rest yourselves…" He smiled mysteriously and started walking out. "Merry Christmas!" he called out as he left, shutting the door behind him.

They stared at the couch. The sleeping arrangements were going to be simple. The couch was not large enough to sleep on by any stretch of the imagination. It was a Queen Anne style two-seater with steep sides.

"Well, I'm guessing that being a honeymoon cabin, there's probably only one bedroom..."

"…and one bed."

They were going to have to share that bed.

They looked further around the cabin. The whole place was decorated in a rustic style, clearly meant to have a cozy cabin vibe about it. The bedroom was no exception, every surface covered in a brightly washed pine. The bed, they both noted to themselves with some trepidation, was a queen size. Why was it always a queen size? They were both tall and Booth, being over six feet and all muscle, queen sized beds were not comfortable when he was sharing that bed with someone else ' _apart from the stuff that didn't require so much space'_ , he thought, and a smirk couldn't help but form on his handsome features for a few seconds, abruptly leaving his face again when he realised that the person he was thinking about doing _the stuff_ with he was the woman standing right next to him.

Both partners were reminded of a similar sized bed they'd shared in their caravan as Boris and Natasha a year or so before. Now that'd been an exercise in self-restraint on both sides, especially as the mattress on the bed had tended to dip in the middle, which had had them involuntarily rolling into each other. After the first night of each clinging to the edges of the mattress to avoid touching each other, leading to a poor night's sleep for them both, by the second night they'd given up the pretence in favour of a "guy hug" … an **all-night** guy hug. It was the best night's sleep either had had for a long time, though neither would admit out loud. The fact that they awoke wound round each other like a pair of vines and had had a sweet, if awkward, moment of untangling the following morning, left both yearning for more but denying any lingering feelings to anyone, including themselves.

There was no doubt that the two of them had become very close over the previous couple of years, so much more than just the raw sexual attraction they had had from the start. They'd become best friends, and in doing so, had worked hard to sublimate their attraction to each other to protect that friendship. It was not just because their work was so important, but because neither of them could bear the thought of them actually hooking up and it not working out the way they wanted, because that would be heart crushing. That insight was not lost on Brennan, who despite using her social awkwardness as a convenient shield, knew fully well how she felt about her partner. She spent every day as conflicted about it as he was. What that meant instead was many late nights with Thai food and paperwork, as a reason to be together without "being together". Sometimes, that would extend to weekends too, Booth using Parker and his love of her swimming pool as an excuse to go over and see her. Strangely, she was always free to hang out with them, whatever excuse she'd initially cited for being unavailable. Swimming was a chance to subtly admire her partner's physique without fear of reprisal on the occasions when he too, would take a dip. Swimming would also inevitably would lead to pizza at her apartment, and pizza would lead to a movie, wherein, without exception, the heady combination of exercise and heavy carbohydrates would have both Booths pass out next to her on the couch. Then she could afford herself the luxury to study her partner dozing whilst she grabbed a book and did her best to create the illusion that she was doing something that wasn't exactly what she was doing. They sometimes stayed until late in the evening, when Booth would slowly wake and stretch, bundle his boy up, give Brennan a gentle shoulder nudge on his way out and carry Parker down to his car.

As it was, they were both single these days, had been for a little while. Neither seemed to be able to find anyone who matched up even close to their work partner. They both seemed destined for a life of sexual frustration to keep the other close by. However, the more time went on, the more their orbits around each other seemed to move in ever-decreasing circles. At some stage, maybe something could make them crash right into each other…

Brennan had taken little more than a cursory glance around the room initially. The less she had to think about the bedroom, the less she had to think about what could be going on in the bedroom, and would likely *not* be going on in the bedroom. There was no doubt that this state of affairs was beginning to become somewhat frustrating.

Booth opened a few cupboards just to check them as he always did in a new environment, it as a force of habit to check for bugs or triggers, even though there was no way anyone would have known they were going to be there. A couple of large, very fluffy robes hung up, waiting to be worn. In his routine, he checked the chest of drawers, and then a nightstand drawer. To his surprise, there was a fresh box of condoms inside, still wrapped in cellophane. He shut the drawer again quickly and said a Hail Mary to himself. This was going to be one of those tests that God seemed to send him. ' _Spend yet another night alone with your gorgeous partner whom you're crazy about and yet remain a saint.'_

"What's wrong, Booth?" called out Brennan, hearing him mutter under his breath.

"Erm, Nothing Bones."

"Oh." There was a pause." Booth?" Brennan called out, sounding somewhat surprised after she stuck her head around the folding door that separated the main bedroom area from a separate, so far undiscovered section.

"What is it?" he called from behind her.

"This is some sort of extended bedroom area, only with a bath. That appears to be heart shaped, Booth, albeit in the rather anatomically inaccurate pictogram form first used by the ancient Cyrenaic culture and now mostly used in greetings cards."

"Oh."

"I presume it's designed for two people. I suppose that would be practical in the event of a water shortage. Although, generally showers are a far more efficient way to cleanse oneself."

"That's a hot tub, Bones. Definitely meant for soaking in. Look," he arrived by her side. He brushed up against her as her gently nudged her arm, "there's a button for the jets."

"I see." She felt a tingle up her spine as she wondered for just a moment what it would be like in that tub with her partner. Her **work** partner, yet again she chastised herself. She felt an accompanying flush creep up her neck and shook herself out of the thought before Booth could notice her embarrassment. Luckily, he was standing next to her rather than in front of her.

"Besides, there's a shower in the main bathroom, and that looks plenty big enough." Booth exclaimed, before realising what he had said could also be construed very wrongly, and he disappeared as quickly as he'd arrived...

* * *

More to follow! Please let me know what you think!


	2. Chapter 2

Hello again, as promised, here is part 2 of 3.

I haven't read much of my gift from dgschneider because the themes were, entirely co-incidentally, very similar! I can assure you that neither of us knew what the other was writing, has just worked out that way. I picked that up from the first couple of amazing paragraphs of hers, at which point I stopped and I absolutely want to make sure that the remainder of what I write isn't subconsciously influenced by her story. I have about half of the final chapter to write, I am hopeful that it will be ready by 27th (hopefully.)

* * *

"…Yes Ange, we're OK, we're just stuck in West Virginia… No, the roads are blocked… Maybe later on tomorrow, more likely 26th… We're in a log cabin... Yes, we are… Angela, I hardly think that's appropriate... Angela!... Yes, I'll call you when we're on the road again… I love you too, Ange… Merry Christmas..."

Booth could only smile with amusement as he listened in on Brennan's conversation with their friend and could only image what the Jeffersonian's resident forensic artist was saying to wind up Brennan.

"Are you hungry, Bones? Let's see what they have." Booth grinned at his partner as they looked in the cupboards and refrigerator for something to eat.

"We should make an inventory."

"I agree. So, we have: baked beans, we have flour, spaghetti, some canned fruit and vegetables, mmmmm… bacon, milk, eggs, butter… coffee, hey, there's even a bottle of wine – wait, two bottles of wine in here."

"There's enough here to work with for tonight."

"We can have spaghetti tonight with some vegetables for you and I can use some of that bacon with mine, and then we can have pancakes in the morning? What d'ya think? There's probably a diner around somewhere if you don't fancy any of it."

"No it's fine. That works. Might as well use what they've given us; and besides, do you really want to go out in that snow?" Booth smiled and shook his head.

Therefore, the partners set about making dinner. As with everything they did, they chatted and bickered whilst somehow being thoroughly efficient with the actual task at hand. In twenty-five minutes, they had made what was a pretty acceptable meal under the circumstances. Booth started to serve up the food and Brennan busied herself behind him getting condiments and cutlery.

"Shall we open the wine, Bones?"

"Yes, I think that would be an excellent idea." She reached up next to him to get two wine glasses that were in a higher cupboard and ended up stretching so her cheek was right next to his. "Sorry", she mumbled. Booth found himself more tangled up with her than he expected and he tried not to show his own reaction to their proximity.

"I can get those, Bones."

"It's OK, you had your hands full of spaghetti."

"Not literally, otherwise I'd be 'Mr Spaghetti Hands'" and with that, he put down the colander and serving spoon and started waving his arms around in front of her like an octopus.

"Booth, you are ridiculous!" She giggled.

"I aim to please…" he chuckled back at her. As the laughter died down after a few seconds, they caught each other's glances again and smiled shyly at each other.

"We should eat…"

"Yeah. Before it gets cold."

Normal service was resumed and they ate their food and drank most of what turned out to be a decent bottle of wine. They stared out of the window as the snow continued to fall, now several inches deep outside. There was a blanket of dark orange-grey above the tree line as flakes fell out of the early-evening sky.

"That was nice." reflected Brennan a few minutes later, twirling the now empty glass in her hand.

"Yeah, it was. You wanna go next door, take what's left of that bottle and watch some TV?"

"Sure."

They went into the cozy living room, where Booth found the remote control for the TV and set about investigating all the available channels.

"Cool, they have cable!" Brennan smiled watching him behave like a kid at Christmas ( _quite apt,_ she considered) flicking through the channels, although she wondered which Booth it was that she was in the company of at this moment. Father Booth was behaving just like she'd witnessed his son do. "Hey Bones, wanna watch some Christmas movies?"

"I might put on my pyjamas first."

"Great idea. I'll do that too." They both got up. Brennan was a little surprised that Booth was wanting to go with her.

"Oh." He hadn't really thought this through.

"I think maybe we should take it in turns. I mean, getting changed in the bedroom together isn't probably one hundred percent, um…" Booth tried to find the right word, "appropriate."

"Booth, I've seen you nak-" he cut her off.

"Not the point, Bones, not the point. You go first."

So Brennan bustled off into the bedroom whilst Booth poured some more wine and tried not think too hard about what his partner was doing in their bedroom. THEIR bedroom. He had to give himself a moment whilst he thought about the prospect of sharing a bed with her again. _'I mean, we've done it before. In Vegas, and then in that caravan. Maybe I can swing another all-night guy hug. That worked. It was like purgatory, but it was worth it."_

Three minutes later Brennan returned in a pair of cotton shorts that in Booth's opinion showed way too much of her legs that went on, and on… and an old FBI t-shirt that looked strangely familiar, although from the way it clung to her curves it looked like it had been somewhat shrunk in the wash. Booth couldn't stop his eyes briefly raking up and down her body. She couldn't help but smirk slightly at his reaction. He had to cover his tracks.

"Hang on, is that one of mine?"

"Technically you said I could keep it…"

"Really?"

"Yes. I borrowed it the night we were wrapping up the paperwork after we gave Baby Andy over to the Grants for adoption. I feel asleep on your couch and before you put me in Parker's room, you gave me this T-shirt."

"Did I really?"

"You know I don't lie, Booth."

"Hmmm" he smirked. "I'll be back in a minute." Booth took himself off to get changed and Brennan made herself comfortable on the couch. He returned in his own T-shirt, which Brennan noted hung from his shoulders pleasingly, and a pair of sweatpants, hanging low on his hips that would not take terribly much physical effort to tug down… She tried not to make her own interest too obvious and hoped Booth hadn't noticed her gazing at him.

They flicked through several channels until Booth found what he was looking for. He grinned at the TV and looked at her excitedly.

"This is it Bones, I knew it would have to be on somewhere."

"I know this movie."

"You do?"

"Of course. I had fifteen years with Russ and my parents. I know ' _It's a Wonderful Life_ ' when I see it."

"Wow, Bones, I'm impressed!'

"Thank you. And by the looks of it, it's only ten minutes or so in."

The partners settled down on the couch next to each other. To start with, they sat a little way apart, but the wine flowed easily, and soon Booth's arm crept along the back of the couch, Brennan adjusted her position so her head was leaning on his shoulder. Over the course of time, and by then into the second bottle of wine, they moved positions several times, more and more into each other's personal space. By the time they were over half way through the movie, the wine had really done its job and combined with the intimacy of the setting, loosened up their inhibitions entirely. Brennan was now laid out across the couch with her head propped up on one arm of the furniture, her torso mostly on Booth's lap at one end, and her feet hanging off the other. Booth was absent-mindedly stroking her hair whilst his other hand lay loosely across her stomach, playing with the fabric of her T-shirt.

"I always find this part depressing."

"Me too."

"Did you have nice Christmases as a child, Booth?"

"Bit of a mixture really," he responded. "Depended on what mood my dad was in, how much he'd had to drink, and whether Pops and my Grammy were over with us. He usually behaved better then. I remember one year though, he was plastered from early on, complained about everything Mom made to eat even though it was all delicious, then broke one of Jared's new toys by throwing it at her. Man, the guy was screwed up. Luckily he'd passed out by mid-afternoon and we just carried on around him quietly. Other times though, he could be fun, especially when he was off the drink. One year I got a train set, he helped me put it together." He paused for a moment as he enjoyed the memory. "I don't think much about that stuff," he volunteered. "My abiding memory of my father was as a violent drunk, seems against type to think of him otherwise."

"I'm sorry, Booth. I didn't mean for you to feel sad."

"It's OK Bones. It's nice to have a kindly thought about him just for once, especially at this time of year."

She nodded sagely and they carried on watching the film for a little longer without much further comment.

"What about you, Bones?" Asked Booth, sometime later.

"What about me, what?"

"What were your Christmases like as a kid?"

"Pretty nice, until Mom and Dad left. But sometimes, when I think back now, it was always a bit weird. We'd get presents, have turkey or a ham, but Mom and Dad would always be a bit on edge, like they were expecting someone to arrive at any moment. We didn't do any of the religious rituals, obviously, that would have been somewhat hypocritical for a family of atheists, but we enjoyed the holiday season for what it was."

"That's good Bones, it's nice to have some happy memories."

"I just wish…"

"What?" he looked down at her.

"It's nothing really. I just wish sometimes I could wipe out those years after I went into the system. They were hard…" she paused, "…emotionally." He smiled sympathetically at her.

"I guess what we went through was kind'a similar in a way. Dysfunctional situations, let down by our parents..."

"But you did have your Grandfather, Booth."

"That's true."

"He's a very good man."

"Yeah he is. Thanks Bones." He smiled down at her.

"I'm only saying what's true, Booth", and she smiled back at him sweetly with no hint of irony. He could feel his heart melting again.

The movie continued and they maintained their present positions, every so often they would chat briefly. Time passed, George's life was indeed ultimately confirmed as being wonderful and Clarence got his wings. As the movie ended, Brennan stretched and sat up.

"That was really nice, Booth. A very good choice, thank you."

"No problem, shall we watch something else?" By now it was around 9.00pm.

"You know, I might turn in. It's been a long day. You can stay up though."

"It's OK. It has been a long day. I could do with a shower."

"Well in that case, I will see you in bed…" Booth trailed off as yet again he realised the connotation of that little statement. Brennan pottered into the bedroom and after pausing for a brief look around the folding door again at the hot tub, where she had a brief moment of pondering, pulled open the covers and tucked herself into bed.

Meanwhile, Booth was taking a pleasantly hot shower whilst trying not to think about his partner in her way-too-small nightwear and the effect that it was starting to take on him, especially after a bottle of wine and the unusual situation that had involved him stroking her stomach and playing with her hair. Various sports stats and saints were muttered under his breath to take his mind off all things Brennan for just a few minutes. He towelled off, chucked back on his sweatpants and t-shirt and, still drying his hair, headed into the bedroom.

"Hey." Brennan looked up from her reading material, a typically academic and verbose-looking journal that she always seemed to carry in her bag. From the lack of pictures on the cover, he was confused for thinking it was always the same issue, but no doubt she'd changed it periodically. Booth himself looked even better after a shower, his hair spiked up on end where he'd rough-dried it but not yet combed it down. She'd forgotten about just how good he looked, tracing with eyes the occasional drop of water that fell from his hair on to one of those remarkable acromia.

"Hey to you, too" smiled Booth, folding the towel up and hanging it over a chair. He hovered at the edge of the bed and looked at her, effectively asking for her permission to join her. Brennan nodded and he slid in between the covers.

They sat next to each other primly, Booth staring into space whilst Brennan continued to thumb the covers of her journal. After a few minutes of what became more and more interrupted reading by the distraction of having him just silently there, not passing comment but neither making any attempt to settle down to sleep, she could sense that her partner was in what appeared to be a somewhat tense state. She looked across to him.

"Are you OK, Booth?"

"Um, yeah. My mind's just whirring a little."

"About the case?"

"Kinda."

"Kinda?"

"I mean, I was just thinking about… stuff."

"What kind of 'stuff'?"

"Just that we're here, and it's Christmas, and it feels a little odd…"

"Odd?"

"Yeah."

"What sort of odd?" Asked Brennan, who put down her journal and was now facing her partner with a quizzical expression.

"You know… we're here, in _**this**_ situation and it's Christmas."

"What situation?"

"You know, you and me snowed in somewhere in the middle of nowhere, at _**Christmas**_ , having to share a honeymoon log cabin. Part of me thinks it's kinda funny, and another part of me thinks God is torturing me." Booth wondered if Brennan knew what it was that he was referring to.

"I don't think your god would be that interested in you, Booth."

"Oh, you'd be surprised."

"I think you need to stop torturing yourself. You are a good man, you have done difficult things for the right reasons." She leaned over and gave him a gentle kiss on his temple. She stayed close, leaving them shoulder to shoulder.

"Thanks Bones. I just worry about the effect of my actions… on the people I care about." She nodded. "It's just that _**this**_ ", – he pointed between the two of them, "is a thing that feels like I'm paying for my previous actions."

"You mean that line you drew between us is a penance you believe you pay?" He was surprised that she was more tuned in than he would have expected.

"Well, I mean, I had perfectly good reasons. We were getting close, that bastard Epps stalked Parker, Cam nearly died. I couldn't take that chance again that someone I cared about might get hurt."

"Were you serious about Cam?" She couldn't believe she'd asked that out loud.

"Not really. You know we'd known each other for years. It was mostly a 'friends with benefits' arrangement…"

"But I thought-"

"See, the thing is, Bones", her eyes flicked to his mouth and then back to his eyes again, his voice little more than a whisper by now. "I couldn't be with Cam anymore…even before Epps appeared, I knew I was in love… I mean, I * _ **am**_ * in love…" he smiled as he corrected himself, "…with someone else. For a very long time. "

"You were? I mean, you are?"

"Yeah." Booth gazed into the deep cerulean eyes staring back at him in awe.

"And does this someone else know?" She asked quietly. He brought his hand gently up to her face and then slowly ran the back of his hand up and down her cheek.

"I don't know. I mean, I think she does. I hope she does." He looked expectantly at her. The number of missed opportunities between them ran into the tens, hell, the hundreds. He hoped this would not be another. He half-expected one of their cell phones to ring, but there was only the quiet hum of the generator outside serenading them.

It seemed like an eternity before she answered, looking up coyly.

"She does…" Brennan confirmed gently before closing what was left of the gap between them and pressing her lips to his.

It took little time for that first hesitant kiss to turn into something much deeper. Six years of mutual longing seemed to be released all at once. Had Sweets had been there, he would have suggested that their dam had broken. The kissing soon became more passionate; hands began to roam into places that were very un-partnerly.

"Bones…" Booth finally managed to get a word out.

"Uhhhh-hmmmm." Brennan's power of speech had ebbed away.

"What did Angela say to you that got you so riled earlier?" The kissing paused as Brennan considered the conversation she and Angela had had earlier. Booth moved his attentions to her neck, meaning she lost her train of thought again for a moment.

"She said... that we should take advantage of our close quarters… mmmm, that's nice… to become more intimately acquainted… or words to that effect."

"I think…" he mumbled between kisses, "that was good advice…"

"Yes, very good advice..." and they both laughed, those chuckles soon turning to gentle moans as their caresses intensified...

* * *

Part 3 to follow. I hope you're all enjoying the story.


	3. Chapter 3

Happy New Year!

My sincere apologies for the delay in posting this last chapter. We hit Christmas/NY week, then back to work. Between a lot going and my creative energies up and down like a yo-yo, was a bit of a trawl to get the darn thing finished. But I'm happy with this last chapter, and I hope you like it too.

 **Edit** : Also to note that it's not been beta'd - Jen's not been well (get well soon, Lovely) so my apologies for any grammatical, spelling errors. I admit to making some sneaky edits having re-read the published version.

I don't own Bones, etc.

* * *

Christmas Eve passed into Christmas morning. Booth woke first with the dawn, as he often did, but this morning he was aware of something new, a dreamy smile emerging on his face as he realised he had an entirely naked anthropologist draped across him, her dark silky hair fanning out over his chest like a blanket, their lower halves covered by the thick comforter on the bed. She was nuzzled into the crook of his neck, occasionally making tiny sounds in her sleep, whilst his arms wrapped around her protectively. He took the opportunity to revel in this moment he'd fantasised about for so long, stroking her spine gently, each vertebra like a piano key against his fingers. His new lover stirred awake a few minutes later, stretching her body out languidly before lifting her head enough to give him a lazy smile of contentment. Any concerns that she had regrets were immediately dispelled with that one look.

"Merry Christmas, Bones", said Booth, gently pecking her on the nose.

"Merry Christmas, Booth", she responded, leaning across to kiss him on the lips. The kiss soon became more passionate and that was all it took to release another wave of their activities of the night before, but at a gentler pace than some of the more frenetic elements they'd enjoyed through the night. There was no urgency to anything today, the cabin was theirs for pretty much as long as they wanted it, that had been made clear; and from the depth of the snow outside, it was going to be another day or so before the roads would be cleared in any case.

When they were done again, they snuggled for a while, dozing thoughtlessly, until Brennan felt the call of nature building to an uncomfortable level and eventually summoned up enough energy to sit up and grab one of the bathrobes lying on the end of the bed. She put it on and rose. Upon her return from the bathroom, walking to the window, noticing that whilst the sky had cleared for the moment at least, the snow was now up to what looked like a foot deep.

"I don't think we're going to be going anywhere much today."

"No?" Booth came out behind her dressed in the second robe, wrapping his arms around her and reaching down slightly to kiss her neck.

"No." She breathed heavily at his ministrations and moved slightly to give him better access. "And for the record, I am very glad about that." He beamed at her statement.

"Me too." His touches and kisses continued as he readily agreed with her, reaching into into her robe as he did. She didn't try and move his hand, enjoying the way the rough skin of his fingers slid down her shoulders under the towelling fabric.

"I think I'd like to try out that hot tub later, maybe after a walk in the snow? We should also probably pick up some more fresh food from the supermarket."

"Yeah. But first," he nuzzled into her hair, "You wanna take a shower? I mean, technically, you're all dirty…" he smirked.

"I wonder how that happened?" Brennan turned in Booth's arms and gave him a mock glare as she clocked his expression, noting that he looked very pleased with himself. "And I suppose you want to clean me up," her glare morphed into an equally cocky smirk of her own.

"Well, it was at least, in part, my fault. It would be my pleasure, no, my _**duty**_ , to clean you up, Doctor Brennan…" She rolled her eyes before taking him by the hand and leading him purposefully towards the bathroom.

* * *

One hour, and a terribly convoluted shower later, during which the partners proceeded to get clean, quite dirty and finally clean again, they were dressed in outdoor clothes reasonably suitable for the conditions and took a gentle stroll through the resort, although at points, it was less of a stroll and more of a wade through the heavy fall of the last eighteen hours. The trees and bushes were laden with white powdery lines of snow on every surface, the icy rock outcrops of the Appalachians in the distance forming a white silhouette against the deep blue sky. The partners, always fond of a good hike, looked at the mountain range admiringly.

"Some day, Bones, we should come back here, maybe in the late spring, or early summer. Take some of the hiking trails." Brennan nodded in agreement.

"That sounds a lovely idea. Maybe we could make a weekend of it? Bring Parker?"

"He'd love that. You know he loves you a lot, Bones." She blushed a little.

"Thanks, I am very fond of him too."

"He'd love to be out here in all this snow. Snowmen…snow angels… Hey, have you ever made a snow angel, Bones?"

"No. What's a snow angel? I assume it's some sort of construction similar to that of a snowman."

"No, kinda different. You really haven't made one before?" Booth was somewhat surprised at Brennan. Surely this was something that surely even she would know about. However, for whatever reason, this was not the case, so Booth continued. "Then let me show you."

Booth pulled Brennan to a clear area of fresh snow on what he guessed should be grassy underneath. "OK, Bones, you need to find a clear spot, pretty deep looking… that looks like there are no rocks underneath. Then, let yourself fall back, like this…" Booth did exactly that, falling backwards into the snow, "…And then wave your arms and legs around like this…" and again, Booth completed the move, waving his arms and legs up and down and side to side respectively.

"Are you being _Mr Spaghetti Hands_ again, Booth? Or are you having some sort of seizure?"

"No Bones," he called out from the ground, "This is how you make a snow angel!"

"Really?" He stopped his flailing and sat up.

"Yeah. Now you try," Brennan took a deep breath, fell backwards into the snow, and lay there.

"Is this right? I don't feel like an angel." Booth, by now sitting up again, looked across at her in awe, her face a picture of confusion, her nose a little red from the cold, her hat almost covering her eyes. She looked so cute, yet he was more reminded of the last time she'd been lying back like that, it had been in their cabin bed, spread out for him like an "all-you-can-eat" buffet. She'd looked far from confused then.

"You sure are an angel, Baby", he couldn't help but exclaim, before remembering that they were supposed to be having a break from the purely sexy stuff for at least a little while, and coming to his senses. "You have to move now, Bones."

"Like Mr Spaghetti Hands?"

"Yes, like Mr Spaghetti Hands..." Brennan took a tentative swipe up and down with her arms. "That's it Bones, and the legs – side to side!"

"I'm freezing Booth! This is very impractical without the appropriately water resistant trousers", called out Brennan, still lying prone in the snow, reluctantly moving her limbs much in the way of a baby mammal finding their way in the new world.

"OK, hang on, Bones, I'm coming to get you." Booth traversed the few feet over to her and offered her his hand. Brennan gladly accepted, and he pulled her up briefly into his arms before taking half a step back to brush the snow off her. "Hey, you know that's not a bad first attempt!" he observed as he took in her effort.

"You think?"

"Yeah, you can see the wings quite clearly. Good job, Bones", at which point he gave her an affectionate peck on the cheek. She was quite taken with the praise.

"I will have to perfect my technique", she declared as she looked at her angel, and then at Booth's, the latter of which was a perfect example.

"I know you will." Booth smiled brightly at Brennan. "Are you still cold?" He reached over again to dust off her shoulders some more.

"Not now I'm standing up again, thank you." He took her hand. They contemplated their creations again for a moment. Booth clapped his gloved hands together.

"So, whilst we're out, shall we get some more food?" She nodded at him.

"I think that's a good idea."

* * *

Booth and Brennan trudged through the snow back towards the main resort, where they made their way to the resort shop that Dave, the genial man from the night before, had informed them would be open, even on Christmas Day. The partners stomped their feet on the porch to remove the excess snow from their boots, and found themselves in a quite bustling store considering the day. Dave looked up from his current customer and greeted them.

"Ah, morning folks! How did you both sleep?" The partners exchanged a brief and slightly sheepish smile before Booth answered for them both.

"Fine, thank you." Dave sensed something intimate between them and grinned.

"I told you, it's perfect for sweethearts like you two! Have you tried the tub yet?" He gave a wink. Brennan found herself compelled to chime in.

"No, but we're going to bathe together in it as soon as we get back", she stated, matter-a-factly, no sense of irony on her happy face. Booth looked his usual somewhat mortified self at discussing anything remotely sexual.

"Bones!" He whispered, horrified, in her ear. She was relieved and amused at his reaction; some things didn't change, whatever was to become of their relationship. Bemusedly, she shrugged her shoulders very lightly.

"Well, there you go. Enjoy!" Dave chuckled. "Now, what can I get you folks?"

* * *

Stocked up on enough supplies for the rest of the day, they headed back to their cabin. Brennan brewed up some coffee for them both and went to run the tub, whilst Booth stripped out of his cold and slightly damp clothes until he was left in just his underwear.

"Ready for a soak?" She asked as she returned, picking up her cup and taking a long sip, before putting it down and doing the same, leaving herself just in her underwear, too. Booth eyed her up and down, taking in her shapely form with absolutely no pretence that he wasn't ogling her.

"You know, Bones, just because I don't like discussing sex with strangers..."

"Or anyone!" interjected Brennan, brightly and somewhat obtusely.

"…The fact is," he took her hand in his and bought it up to kiss it, "that what goes on between us, is ours. Some stuff Bones, I just want it to be between you and me. Our stuff. Special stuff."

"That is true", admitted Brennan as she followed Booth's movements. "I admit, I like some things to be just ours too." She ran a finger down his chest. "Does that include trying out the tub?" she said, conspiratorially.

"I won't tell if you won't…" whispered Booth into her ear.

* * *

They languished in the heart-shaped pool, jets massaging their tangled bodies as they snuggled in one of the two bulbous chambers, her back pressed to his chest snugly and his arms resting on her stomach.

"You were right, Booth, this is really very relaxing." Brennan took the opportunity to stretch out her legs a little. The whole situation felt so incredibly nice, intimate even, and yet, she felt none of the usual need to back away from it at speed. That, in itself, felt quite odd, but she didn't want to fight it. She reflected in the womb-like liquid warmth of that tub and her partner literally wrapped around her. After nearly a hundred cases, her father's return, his tumour, their shared dream, helping him fix his plumbing… all these things had led her to surmise that her world had changed for the better. Booth had done that. He'd cared about her for so long, it had crept up on her without her even realising. Here they now were, finally consummating their relationship somewhere with no distractions, no people to get in the way. Yet, she was wracked with concern. Now she was happy, now she had what she really wanted… What about when they got back to DC? How would it work? She wasn't even sure and she dare not ask. This was entirely uncharted territory.

"Yeah" was all Booth could manage, his eyes closed as he let the jets soothe his feet and feeling Brennan all over him. He was somewhere in the vicinity of Heaven, or Nirvana, or some other really nice afterlife-y place. Feeling her tense slightly in his arms, but having no idea why, he reached up and started massaging her shoulders. "Mmmm Bones, just relax…" The pressure of his fingers nimbly prodding and poking her scapulae and acromia allowed her to lose focus again ( _he was so very good_ ) so that she temporarily forgot about what had been bothering her, and allowed the pleasant feelings to wash over her.

When the water started to cool down to unpleasantly tepid, they climbed out and drained the tub, giggling at the difficulty they both had as they towelled each other off in not allowing their mutual actions to turn sexual once again. Somehow, they managed to put on their bathrobes, and watching more cable TV, snuggled on the couch for the rest of the day. At one point Brennan, unable to entirely change the habit of a lifetime, did attempt to mount a case review of the information they had so far, but Booth was having none of it – "It's not going anywhere Bones, just put it away. It's Christmas…" and scooped her up to kiss her.

The second night passed, and the partners remained happily cocooned in their temporary love nest. They made love again passionately before they slept, and it was, as had been their previous endeavours, everything either could have wished for. However, afterwards, as their heart rates slowed and they settled into an comfortable embrace by which to drift off to sleep, Brennan became somewhat restless. Booth gave her a few moments to settle herself, but she continued to wriggle impassively.

"What is it, Sweetheart?" he whispered.

"Nothing." She dismissed him before correcting herself for being so short with him. "Sorry, really, it's nothing. Go to sleep, Booth." She gently kissed his neck, about the closest point she could reach from her current position.

"It doesn't seem like nothing, Bones." He stroked her hair tenderly. "Tell me Baby, what's wrong?" She sighed and sat up in the bed.

"It's just… what happens when we get back to DC?" Booth sat up next to her.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, if we decide to pursue a sexual relationship, what happens to our work?"

"If?" he looked at her with a mock frown before kissing her very deliberately on the lips to make the 'if' look a very silly proposition, and pulling back to hold her gaze. "You're really worried about this, aren't you?"

"Yes." She paused to find the words and breathe again. "I find that I am deeply torn between the work we do and the quite appalling fact that right now, my control of my own feelings is entirely compromised. The last twenty-four hours have been unlike anything I've ever experienced and to be perfectly frank, I don't believe I would be willing to give you up when we return to DC."

"Well…" Booth thought for a moment, realising the magnitude of the statement she had just made. He took his hand to her cheek so he could stroke it affectionately, enjoying the smoothness of her skin as he did so, and gazed at her intently. "You know how I feel about you, right? I mean, I've said it several times. I said it not ten minutes ago, I'm gonna say it to you again. Temperance, I love you. Very, very much." He took the opportunity to lean in and kiss her again briefly, just because he could. With a broad smile, he said: "And not the FBI, or the Jeffersonian, or anyone else is gonna change that fact. I have no doubt in my mind that with our track record, and with some possible minor modifications, we'll still be able to work together. I think we are the last people waiting for this to happen."

"You think?" Brennan was not entirely convinced by his short speech.

"No doubt. You know there've been rumours about us for _**years**_. Now come 'ere," he said, moving himself back to a horizontal position and taking her with him. "Do you trust me, Bones?'

"Yes." She really did, even with the uncertainty she felt.

"Then I need you to trust me on this. We are going to be just fine, and so is our work. It's not in their interests to separate us."

"OK." She still sounded a little unsure.

"OK", he spoke confidently. "Now, I'm going to hold you in my arms and kiss you for a while just because it feels really good, and probably satisfies some anthropological need and some chemical production-"

"Very good, Booth! Acetylcholine, dopamine and oxytocin…" interjected Brennan.

"…And then we're going to fall asleep until early in the morning, when we wake up in each other's arms and I make love to you again. We'll sort out the rest back in DC. Can you help me with that?"

"OK" replied Brennan, slightly happier. She still wasn't entirely confident in Booth's optimism, but she was willing to trust him. He'd not let her down yet.

* * *

The next morning, Booth taking some pride in having kept all his overnight promises to Brennan, made a check on the traffic and weather for the route back. The roads were now clear enough to return home. Back to the case, back to real life. Brennan and Booth found themselves packing their bags for the journey back to DC.

As they locked the cabin door for the final time, Brennan reflected on the last thirty-six hours. What had shifted, what it meant, and what was going to happen next. Her face was a picture of concentration on something far, far away.

"Bones?" She snapped out of her thoughts and smiled at him lovingly.

"I was just thinking about what's changed."

"Good things, Bones, good things. It's going to be a wonderful new year."

"When I think about what I had upon our arrival here in Smoke Hole, and what I have now, I realised that you gave me the best Christmas present, Booth."

"We gave _**each**_ _**other**_ the best Christmas present, Bones. We gave each other ourselves."

* * *

That's it, managed to squeeze in the last wish, I hope that was OK. Now I can finally go off and read my own Secret Santa present!

 **Edit** : For anyone else wondering (see reviews section) - "Mr Spaghetti hands" didn't come from any particular reference when I wrote it, my husband has been prone to do such things. That said, there is a scene in "Dirty Dancing" where Baby Haussmann calls Johnny "Spaghetti arms" or something similar, so probably some sub-conscious reference in my brain to that. :)


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